Base station circuitry for adapting operation of a user equipment between stand-alone and network assisted operation

ABSTRACT

A base station (BS) circuitry, configured to adapt operation of a user equipment (UE) between a stand-alone operation mode and a mobile network operator (MNO) assisted operation mode, includes: a first interface connectable to an MNO network; a second interface connectable to the UE; and a BS controller, configured to: transmit a first register message via the first interface to the MNO network, wherein the first register message indicates a request to operate the UE in at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO network, and signal a hand-over via the second interface to the UE, wherein the hand-over indicates a transition from operating the UE in at least one frequency band of the stand-alone operation mode to operating the UE in the at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a base station (BS) circuitry for adaptingoperation of a user equipment (UE) between a stand-alone operation modeand a mobile network operator (MNO) assisted operation mode and a UEcontrolled by such BS circuitry. In particular, the disclosure relatesto dynamic combination of stand-alone licensed assisted access (LAA) anddedicated LAA and advanced coexistence mechanisms for unlicensed bands.

BACKGROUND

While 3GPP LAA (Licensed Assisted Access) allows operators to combinededicated licensed and unlicensed (in particular 5 GHz ISM) bands, this3GPP LAA approach only allows the joint operation of these 2 bands. Ascan be seen from FIG. 1, a dedicated licensed spectrum 118, e.g.according to LTE, is provided by a base station 120 to a user with userequipment 140 and an unlicensed spectrum 112, e.g. according to WiFi, isprovided by a small cell 110 to the user equipment 140. Both spectra112, 118 are combined via link aggregation 130. Control 114 and data 116messages are exchanged between the base station 120 and the small cell110. Currently, multiple LAA Stand-Alone approaches are defined,typically using the 5 GHz ISM band (or any other suitable unlicensedband or shared bands such as the 3.5 GHz US band) only—withoutcombination with a dedicated licensed band. This makes LTE available foroperator-independent users, such as private users deploying a privatehome network.

It may thus be desirable to provide a new technique for efficientlyusing radio resources including licensed and unlicensed frequency bands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of aspects and are incorporated in and constitute a partof this specification. The drawings illustrate aspects and together withthe description serve to explain principles of aspects. Other aspectsand many of the intended advantages of aspects will be readilyappreciated as they become better understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description. Like reference numerals designatecorresponding similar parts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a joint operation of dedicated licensedand unlicensed frequency bands according to 3GPP LAA.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a type 1 LTE frame structureto be used for LTE FDD (frequency division duplex) mode systems.

FIG. 3 is schematic diagram illustrating a type 2 LTE frame structure tobe used for LTE TDD (time division duplex) mode systems.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a mobile communication system 400including a mobile network operator (MNO) network 410, a base station(BS) circuitry 420 and a user equipment (UE) 430.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram 500 illustrating different operationsmodes that a base station circuitry 420 can use for adapting a userequipment 430.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a message sequence between aBS circuitry 420, a MNO network 410 and a UE 430 for switching anoperation mode of the UE from stand-alone LAA to MNO assisted operation.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a message sequence between aBS circuitry 420, a MNO network 410 and a UE 430 for switching anoperation mode of the UE from MNO assisted operation to stand-alone LAA.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a license shared access (LSA)communication system 800 including an LSA controller 813 for adaptingspectrum usage.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a spectrum access system(SAS) 900 with two central SAS coordinators 931, 932 for coordinatingspectrum use between incumbents, PA (priority access) users and GAA(general authorized access) users according to FCC (FederalCommunications Commission) standardization.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first state 1000 of anefficient resource access mechanism in an LAA communication systemincluding a central coordination entity 1005, two base station (BS)circuitries 1001, 1002 and a small cell 1103.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second state 1100 of theefficient resource access mechanism in the LAA communication systemdepicted in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a third state 1200 of theefficient resource mechanism in the LAA communication system depicted inFIG. 10.

FIGS. 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d are schematic diagrams illustratingtransmissions 1300 a, 1300 b, 1300 c and 1300 d in which silence periodsare filled up with dummy data according to a method for schedulingcoordinated access to a radio resource.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the context of this disclosure, “stand-alone” means that the LAAsystem can be used in an unlicensed or license-by-rule band or sharedband (or any band other than exclusively licensed band) alone withoutrequiring a second frequency carrier (being operated jointly,sequentially in time or simultaneously in time). Such a second frequencycarrier typically relates to a dedicated licensed frequency band, suchas an LTE dedicated licensed frequency band. Also note that thestand-alone system typically relates to LAA but the approach is genericand can be applied to any communication protocol (possibly aftersuitable modifications, including mechanisms for protection of anincumbent system for example). Also note that the stand-alone system maybe part of a hierarchy, for example in the case of LAA in 3.5 GHz sharedspectrum, the highest priority is typically given to the incumbent, thesecond highest priority to a PAL User (Priority Access License User)—ifavailable in the target band—and the third highest priority to a GAAUser (General Authorized Access user) which is typically governed underthe license-by-rule framework of the FCC (in other regions similar orslightly different schemes may exist which allow quasi-unlicensedoperation while protecting a higher priority user).

It is understood that the basic principles are applicable to anysuitable frequency band and any suitable radio access technology. Inparticular, it is suitable for systems operating in unlicensed bands(such as 2.4 GHz ISM band and 5 GHz ISM bands), license-by-rule bands(such as 3.5 GHz GAA operation in the US under FCC's license-by-ruleframework), shared bands (such as TVWS bands, e.g. in Europe from470-790 MHz, where systems as as IEEE802.11af may operate) and any othertype of bands. The proposed schemes are in particular optimized for TDDoperation, however, they may be adapted to any other type of operation,including FDD. Alternatively, non-TDD systems, such as FDD systems orothers, may be adapted in order to operate under the conditions detailedin this disclosure; this may for example be achieved by adding a(optional or non-optional) TDD mode or any other suitable mode to thecurrently existing stand. Then, the approach detailed in this disclosurecan be applied to any communication system and in particular to thefollowing systems: Infrastructure equipment or mobile devices or anyother equipment operating according to certain 3GPP (Third GenerationPartnership Project) specifications, notably Long Term Evolution (LTE)and Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), a 5th Generation (5G)communication systems, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)radio communication technology, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)radio communication technology, an Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE) radio communication technology, and/or a Third GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) radio communication technology (e.g. UMTS(Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), FOMA (Freedom ofMultimedia Access), 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution), 3GPP LTE Advanced(Long Term Evolution Advanced)), CDMA2000 (Code division multiple access2000), CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data), Mobitex, 3G (ThirdGeneration), CSD (Circuit Switched Data), HSCSD (High-SpeedCircuit-Switched Data), UMTS (3G) (Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (Third Generation)), W-CDMA (UMTS) (Wideband Code DivisionMultiple Access (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System)), HSPA(High Speed Packet Access), HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access),HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access), HSPA+ (High Speed Packet AccessPlus), UMTS-TDD (Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem—Time-Division Duplex), TD-CDMA (Time Division—Code DivisionMultiple Access), TD-CDMA (Time Division—Synchronous Code DivisionMultiple Access), 3GPP Rel. 8 (Pre-4G) (3rd Generation PartnershipProject Release 8 (Pre-4th Generation)), 3GPP Rel. 9 (3rd GenerationPartnership Project Release 9), 3GPP Rel. 10 (3rd Generation PartnershipProject Release 10), 3GPP Rel. 11 (3rd Generation Partnership ProjectRelease 11), 3GPP Rel. 12 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release12), 3GPP Rel. 13 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3GPPRel. 14 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3GPP LTE Extra,LTE Licensed-Assisted Access (LAA), UTRA (UMTS Terrestrial RadioAccess), E-UTRA (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access), LTE Advanced(4G) (Long Term Evolution Advanced (4th Generation)), cdmaOne (2G),CDMA2000 (3G) (Code division multiple access 2000 (Third generation)),EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data Only), AMPS (1G)(Advanced Mobile Phone System (1st Generation)), TACS/ETACS (TotalAccess Communication System/Extended Total Access Communication System),D-AMPS (2G) (Digital AMPS (2nd Generation)), PTT (Push-to-talk), MTS(Mobile Telephone System), IMTS (Improved Mobile Telephone System), AMTS(Advanced Mobile Telephone System), OLT (Norwegian for OffentligLandmobil Telefoni, Public Land Mobile Telephony), MTD (Swedishabbreviation for Mobiltelefonisystem D, or Mobile telephony system D),Autotel/PALM (Public Automated Land Mobile), ARP (Finnish forAutoradiopuhelin, “car radio phone”), NMT (Nordic Mobile Telephony),Hicap (High capacity version of NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone)),CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data), Mobitex, DataTAC, iDEN (IntegratedDigital Enhanced Network), PDC (Personal Digital Cellular), CSD (CircuitSwitched Data), PHS (Personal Handy-phone System), WiDEN (WidebandIntegrated Digital Enhanced Network), iBurst, Unlicensed Mobile Access(UMA, also referred to as also referred to as 3GPP Generic AccessNetwork, or GAN standard)), Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) standard,mmWave standards in general (wireless systems operating at 10-90 GHz andabove such as WiGig, IEEE 802.11ad, IEEE 802.11ay, etc.), etc. Note inparticular that the proposed scheme may be applied to so called cmWave(3-30 GHz) and mmWave (30-300 GHz) band systems and at frequenciesbeyond those.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and in which is shownby way of illustration specific aspects in which the invention may bepracticed. It is understood that other aspects may be utilized andstructural or logical changes may be made without departing from thescope of the present invention. The following detailed description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense. The following terms,abbreviations and notations will be used herein.

-   CRS: Cell specific Reference Signal,-   PRB: Physical Resource Block,-   3GPP: 3rd Generation Partnership Project,-   LTE: Long Term Evolution,-   LTE-A: LTE Advanced, Release 10 and higher versions of 3GPP LTE,-   MNO: Mobile Network Operator,-   BS: Base station, eNodeB,-   FCC: Federal Communications Commission,-   SAS: Spectrum Access System,-   PA: Priority Access,-   GAA: General Authorized Access,-   PAL: Priority Access Licenses,-   ASA: Authorized Shared Access,-   CSS: Cloud Spectrum Services,-   RF: Radio Frequency,-   UE: User Equipment,-   SINR: signal-to-interference and noise ratio,-   RE: Resource Element,-   RB: resource block, e.g., a resource block in frequency direction    times slot in time direction,-   OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex,-   NodeB: base station,-   IRC: Interference Rejection Combining,-   eICIC: enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination,-   MIMO: Multiple Input Multiple Output,-   TDD: Time Division Duplex,-   FDD: Frequency Division Duplex,

The methods and devices described herein may be based on resourceblocks, in particular resource blocks received from radio cells, andclusters. It is understood that comments made in connection with adescribed method may also hold true for a corresponding deviceconfigured to perform the method and vice versa. For example, if aspecific method step is described, a corresponding device may include aunit to perform the described method step, even if such a unit is notexplicitly described or illustrated in the figures. Further, it isunderstood that the features of the various exemplary aspects describedherein may be combined with each other, unless specifically notedotherwise.

The methods and devices described herein may be implemented in wirelesscommunication networks, in particular communication networks based onmobile communication standards such as LTE, in particular LTE-A and/orOFDM. The methods and devices described below may further be implementedin a base station (NodeB, eNodeB) or a mobile device (or mobile stationor User Equipment (UE)). The described devices may include integratedcircuits and/or passives and may be manufactured according to varioustechnologies. For example, the circuits may be designed as logicintegrated circuits, analog integrated circuits, mixed signal integratedcircuits, optical circuits, memory circuits and/or integrated passives.

The methods and devices described herein may be configured to transmitand/or receive radio signals. Radio signals may be or may include radiofrequency signals radiated by a radio transmitting device (or radiotransmitter or sender) with a radio frequency lying in a range of about3 Hz to 300 GHz. The frequency range may correspond to frequencies ofalternating current electrical signals used to produce and detect radiowaves.

The methods and devices described herein after may be designed inaccordance to mobile communication standards such as e.g. the Long TermEvolution (LTE) standard or the advanced version LTE-A thereof. LTE(Long Term Evolution), marketed as 4G, 5G LTE and beyond, is a standardfor wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and dataterminals. The methods and devices described hereinafter may be appliedin OFDM systems. OFDM is a scheme for encoding digital data on multiplecarrier frequencies. A large number of closely spaced orthogonalsub-carrier signals may be used to carry data. Due to the orthogonalityof the sub-carriers crosstalk between sub-carriers may be suppressed.

The methods and devices described hereinafter may be applied in SASsystems. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) released a Reportand Order outlining the rules for operating wireless devices in the 3.5GHz band that spans from 3550-3700 MHz. FCC released this spectrum forsharing with the incumbents, which means that the incumbents getpriority in that band and it can be used by broadband devices when (andwhere) incumbents are not using the spectrum. The incumbents in thisband include DoD radars. There are two additional tiers of spectrumusers in addition to the incumbents namely the Priority Access (PA) andGeneral Authorized Access (GAA). The Priority Access Licenses (PAL)users get protection from GAA users which is similar to unlicensedspectrum.

The FCC also mandates a Spectrum Access System (SAS) that willcoordinate the spectrum use between the incumbents, PA and GAA. The SASis central to this band, and no tier 2 or tier 3 device can operateunless it is in constant communication with the SAS and receivesinformation of when and where to use the 3.5 GHz channels. The SAS hasto be approved by the FCC before it can be deployed. Since the SAS isthe central coordinator for this spectrum, it needs to have a lot ofinformation about the network and devices. In fact, FCC mandates most ofthis information to be contained in the SAS. FCC's Report and Orderoutlines a sample system with SAS(s) as shown in FIG. 9. If there aremultiple SASs, they are supposed to be synchronized with each other.However, the FCC does not specify details of how the SAS have to beimplemented and what information has to be synchronized.

The methods and devices described hereinafter may be applied in LSA(Licensed Shared Access) systems, ASA (Authorized Shared Access) systemsand CSS (Cloud Spectrum Services) systems. The LSA (Licensed SharedAccess) concept, e.g. as shown in FIG. 8, was recently developed by RSPG(Radio Spectrum Policy Group) on a European level. The objective is topropose a new way for answering to the operators' needs for morespectrum. It is expected that no more dedicated spectrum will beavailable for cellular operators for mobile communications in thefuture. LSA thus proposes mechanisms for introducing shared spectrumbased solutions, i.e. mobile cellular operators will have access toadditional licensed spectrum from other licensees (like public safety,government. etc.) which they normally would not get access to. LSA isbased on a similar solution as ASA (Authorized Shared Access). ASA,however, is limited to IMT spectrum while LSA is also addressing non-IMTbands. Both exist on a rather conceptual level for the time being.

A related technology is CSS (Cloud Spectrum Services) which addressesthe same framework as LSA and ASA, but introduces more detailedimplementation solutions. On a regulatory level, there is massiveinterest for LSA/ASA/CSS, in particular in Europe. CEPT WG FM has agreedto launch a corresponding project team. ETSI RRS has finalized theset-up of a so-called SRDoc (System Reference Document) which targets inparticular the 2.3-2.4 GHz Band which is expected to be one of the moststraightforward candidates for shared spectrum usage. This is alsoacknowledged by CEPT WG FM. CEPT has taken the inputs into account inits CEPT WG FM project teams PT52 and PT53. While current activitiesfocus on the 2.3-2.4 GHz band in Europe, it should be noted that theusage of the LSA concept is not limited to any specific frequency band.In fact, it is expected that the 2.3-2.4 GHz represents a first exerciseand in the future LSA usage will be extended to other bands.

The methods and devices described hereinafter may be applied in WiFi andBluetooth systems or any near field communication (NFC) technology. WiFiis a local area wireless computer networking technology that allowselectronic devices to connect to the network, mainly using the 2.4gigahertz (12 cm) UHF and 5 gigahertz (6 cm) SHF ISM radio bands. TheWi-Fi Alliance defines Wi-Fi as any “wireless local area network” (WLAN)product based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. However, the term “Wi-Fi” isused in general English as a synonym for WLAN since most modern WLANsare based on these standards. Many devices can use WiFi, e.g. personalcomputers, video-game consoles, smartphones, digital cameras, tabletcomputers and digital audio players. These can connect to a networkresource such as the Internet via a wireless network access point. Suchan access point (or hotspot) has a range of about 20 meters indoors anda greater range outdoors.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data overshort distances (using short-wavelength UHF radio waves in the ISM bandfrom 2.4 to 2.485 GHz) from fixed and mobile devices, and buildingpersonal area networks (PANS). It can connect several devices,overcoming problems of synchronization.

The methods and devices described hereinafter may be applied in LTE FDDmode systems, e.g. LTE mode systems having a type 1 LTE frame structureas shown in FIG. 2. The type 1 LTE frame 200 includes 10 sub-frames 204each having two slots 206. A basic type 1 LTE frame has an overalllength of 10 milliseconds.

The methods and devices described hereinafter may be applied in LTE TDDmode systems, e.g. LTE mode systems having a type 2 LTE frame structureas shown in FIG. 3. The type 2 LTE frame 300 has an overall length 202of 10 milliseconds. The 10 ms frame 300 comprises two half frames 208,each 5 ms long. The LTE half-frames 208 are further split into fivesubframes 204, each 1 millisecond long 206. The subframes 204 may bedivided into standard subframes 302 and special subframes. The specialsubframes consist of three fields: DwPTS—Downlink Pilot Time Slot 304;GP—Guard Period 306; and UpPTS—Uplink Pilot Time Stot 308. These threefields are individually configurable in terms of length, although thetotal length of all three together must be 1 ms.

One of the advantages of using LTE TDD is that to apply a dynamicallychanging of the up and downlink balance and characteristics to meet theload conditions. In order to achieve this in an ordered fashion, anumber of standard configurations have been set within the LTEstandards. A total of seven up/downlink configurations have been set,and these use either 5 ms or 10 ms switch periodicities. In the case ofthe 5 ms switch point periodicity, a special subframe exists in bothhalf frames. In the case of the 10 ms periodicity, the special subframeexists in the first half frame only. The subframes 0 and 5 as well asDwPTS are always reserved for the downlink. UpPTS and the subframeimmediately following the special subframe are always reserved for theuplink transmission.

The methods and devices described hereinafter may be applied in MIMOsystems. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communicationsystems employ multiple antennas at the transmitter and at the receiverto increase system capacity and to achieve better quality of service. Inspatial multiplexing mode, MIMO systems may reach higher peak data rateswithout increasing the bandwidth of the system by transmitting multipledata streams in parallel in the same frequency band.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a mobile communication system 400including a mobile network operator (MNO) network 410, a base station(BS) circuitry 420 and a user equipment (UE) 430.

The BS circuitry 420 is configured to adapt operation of a UE 430between a stand-alone operation mode and a mobile network operator (MNO)assisted operation mode. The BS circuitry 420 includes a first interface421 connectable 412 to the MNO network 410, a second interface 425connectable 422 to the UE 430; and a BS controller 423. The BSScontroller 423 is configured to transmit a first register message, e.g.a register message 2 a as described below with respect to FIG. 6, viathe first interface 421 to the MNO network 410. The first registermessage indicates a request to operate the UE 430 in at least onelicensed frequency band of the MNO network 410. The BS controller 423 isfurther configured to signal a hand-over, e.g. a hand-over message 3 cas described below with respect to FIG. 6, via the second interface 425to the UE 430. The hand-over indicates a transition from operating theUE 430 in at least one unlicensed frequency band of the stand-aloneoperation mode to operating the UE 430 in the at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode.

The request to operate the UE 430 in an MNO assisted operation mode maybe autonomously generated by the base station circuitry 420 or may bereceived from the MNO network 410, e.g. by the message 3 a as describedbelow with respect to FIG. 6. Alternatively, the request to operate theUE 430 in an MNO assisted operation mode may be decided by the UE 430and signaled to the BS circuitry 420, e.g. by the message 3 b asdescribed below with respect to FIG. 6.

The BS controller 423 may transmit information via the second interface425 to the UE 430 which indicates a list of available links forconnecting the UE 430, e.g. by the message 2 b as described below withrespect to FIG. 6. The list of available links may include for example:a link through the MNO network 410 based on licensed access technology,a link through an MNO-independent network based on WiFi, a link throughthe MNO-independent network based on Bluetooth, a link through theMNO-independent network based on stand-alone license-assisted access(LAA), and a link through the MNO-independent network based on anotheraccess technology.

The BS controller 423 may adapt an access technology for accessing theUE 430 based on 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) in a dedicated licensedband, for example corresponding to LTE licensed 501 as described belowwith respect to FIG. 5. The BS controller 420 may adapt an accesstechnology for accessing the UE 430 based on 3GPP LAA in a combinationof a dedicated licensed band and an unlicensed band, for examplecorresponding to LTE LAA licensed/unlicensed 503 as described below withrespect to FIG. 5. The BS controller 423 may adapt an access technologyfor accessing the UE 430 based on stand-alone LTE LAA in an unlicensedband, for example corresponding to stand-alone LTE LAA 504, e.g. LTEbeing operated on an unlicensed, license-by-rule or shared basis asdescribed below with respect to FIG. 5. The BS controller 423 may adaptan access technology for accessing the UE 430 based on Spectrum AccessSystem (SAS) in a dedicated licensed band for incumbent usage, forexample corresponding to the SAS system described below with respect toFIG. 9. The BS controller 423 may adapt an access technology foraccessing the UE 430 based on SAS LAA in a combination of a dedicatedlicensed band for incumbent usage and an unlicensed band, for examplecorresponding to the SAS system described below with respect to FIG. 9.

The BS controller 423 may adapt an access technology for accessing theUE 430 based on LSA LAA in a combination of a dedicated licensed bandfor incumbent usage and an unlicensed band, for example corresponding tothe LSA system described below with respect to FIG. 8. The BS controller423 may adapt an access technology for accessing the UE 430 based on LSALAA, ASA LAA, and/or CSS LAA, for example in a combination of adedicated licensed band for incumbent usage and an unlicensed band. TheBS controller 423 may adapt an access technology for accessing the UE430 based on any combination of LTE, SAS, LSA, ASA and CSS LAA.

The BS controller 423 may terminate the operation of the UE 430 in thestand-alone operation mode if the MNO network 410 provides at least oneunlicensed frequency band for operating the UE, e.g. when a request fortermination of MNO-independent stand-alone LAA is received from the MNOnetwork 410, e.g. as illustrated by the message 6 a in FIG. 6. The BScontroller 423 may initiate the operation of the UE 430 in thestand-alone operation mode if the MNO network 410 stops providing the atleast one unlicensed frequency band or stops operation in unlicensedband, e.g. as illustrated by the message 1 in FIG. 7.

The UE 430 is operable in a stand-alone operation mode and a mobilenetwork operator (MNO) assisted operation mode. The UE 430 includes aninterface 435 connectable 422 to the BS circuitry 420 and a UEcontroller 433. The UE 430 is configured to receive a hand-over signalfrom the base station circuitry 420, e.g. a hand-over message 3 c asdescribed below with respect to FIG. 6. The hand-over signal indicates atransition from an operation of the UE 410 in at least one unlicensedfrequency band of the stand-alone operation mode to an operation of theUE 410 in at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assistedoperation mode. The UE controller 433 is configured to initiate atransition from operating the UE 430 in the stand-alone operation modeto operating the UE 430 in the MNO assisted operation mode based on thehand-over signal.

The UE controller 433 may initiate a transition from operating the UE430 in the MNO assisted operation mode to operating the UE 430 in thestand-alone operation mode based on a signal from the base stationcircuitry 420 indicating a termination of the MNO assisted operationmode, e.g. a message 1 indicating a stop of operation in unlicensedbands as illustrated in FIG. 7. The UE controller 433 may detect anMNO-independent network for operating the UE 430 in the stand-aloneoperation mode after reception of the signal indicating the terminationof the MNO assisted operation mode and may connect the UE 430 to theMNO-independent network.

The mobile communication system 400 described above allows todynamically switch between 3GPP LAA (joint operation of dedicatedlicensed & unlicensed bands based on LTE) and Stand-alone LAA (LTE onlyused in unlicensed band(s) without additional dedicated licensedcarrier), in particular a dynamic switch between a) joint operation ofdedicated licensed LTE and LTE in unlicensed bands (3GPP LTE) and b) LTEin unlicensed bands only (stand-alone LAA). The mobile communicationsystem 400 further allows to efficiently manage coexistence betweenlegacy unlicensed systems, in particular WiFi in 5 GHz, and Stand-aloneLAA, i.e. to optimize resource efficiency in unlicensed band throughcentralized allocation strategy of LTE access (coexistence with otherISM systems such as WiFi).

The mobile communication system 400 described above allows dynamicaddition/removal of (operator independent) stand-alone LAA in additionto 3GPP LTE (dedicated licensed band), 3GPP LAA (dedicated licensed bandplus unlicensed band usage), WiFi, etc. The mobile communication system400 described above introduces a novel resource management scheme usinga centralized resource allocation for stand-alone LAA while contentionbased access is still maintained for coexistence with WiFi (and anyother contention based access system).

In one implementation of the BS circuitry of the mobile communicationsystem 400, the hand-over indicates a transition from operating the UE430 in at least one frequency band of the stand-alone operation mode tooperating the UE 430 in the at least one licensed frequency band of theMNO assisted operation mode. The at least one frequency band of thestand-alone operation mode may be one of an unlicensed frequency band asdescribed above, a license-by-rule frequency band, a shared frequencyband, a TV White Space (TVWS) frequency band or any other suitable typeof frequency. TV White Spaces (TVWS) are frequencies made available forunlicensed use at locations where the spectrum is not being used bylicensed services, such as television broadcasting. This spectrum may belocated in the VHF and UHF bands. The BS controller may be configured tosignal an inverse hand-over via the second interface to the UE, whereinthe inverse hand-over indicates a retransition from operating the UE inthe at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operationmode to operating the UE in the stand-alone operation mode.

In one implementation of the UE of the mobile communication system 400,the hand-over signal indicates a transition from an operation of the UEin at least one frequency band of the stand-alone operation mode to anoperation of the UE in at least one licensed frequency band of the MNOassisted operation mode. The at least one frequency band of thestand-alone operation mode may be one of an unlicensed frequency band, alicense-by-rule frequency band, a shared frequency band, a TV WhiteSpace (TVWS) frequency band or any other suitable type of frequency. TheUE controller may be configured to initiate a retransition fromoperating the UE in the at least one licensed frequency band of the MNOassisted operation mode to operating the UE in the stand-alone operationmode when receiving an inverse hand-over signal from the BS circuitryvia the interface.

In one implementation of the UE of the mobile communication system 400,the UE is operable in a stand-alone operation mode and a mobile networkoperator (MNO) assisted operation mode and the UE includes: an interfaceconnectable to a base station (BS) circuitry, in particular a basestation circuitry as described above; and a UE controller, configured toinitiate a transition from operating the UE in at least one frequencyband of the stand-alone operation mode to an operation of the UE in atleast one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode,wherein the UE controller is configured to connect the interface to theBS circuitry when operating the UE in the at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode. The at least onefrequency band of the stand-alone operation mode may be one of anunlicensed frequency band, a license-by-rule frequency band, a sharedfrequency band, a TV White Space (TVWS) frequency band or any othersuitable type of frequency. The UE controller may be configured toinitiate a retransition from operating the UE in the at least onelicensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode to operatingthe UE in the stand-alone operation mode.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram 500 illustrating different operationsmodes that a base station circuitry 420 can use for adapting a userequipment 430.

The BS 420, in particular the BS controller 423 may adapt an accesstechnology for accessing the UE 430 based on 3GPP long term evolution(LTE) in a dedicated licensed band 501 or based on 3GPP LAA in acombination of a dedicated licensed band and an unlicensed band 503 orbased on stand-alone LTE LAA in an unlicensed band 504 or based on anear field communication LAA such as WiFi or Bluetooth 502 or based on aSpectrum Access System (SAS) in a dedicated licensed band for incumbentusage. The BS 420 may further adapt the access technology based on SASLAA, LSA LAA, ASA LAA or CSS LAA or any combination thereof.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a message sequence between aBS circuitry 420, a MNO network 410 and a UE 430 for switching anoperation mode of the UE from stand-alone LAA to MNO assisted operation,e.g. according to a dynamic Switch between 3GPP LAA and stand-alone LAA.

A stand-alone LAA mode, such as LTE being operated on an unlicensed,license-by-rule or shared basis, etc. does not require MNO support(although it can also be provided by an MNO, this represents a specialcase. Typically, a given Small Cell would prefer to only operate onesystem in a given unlicensed band (such as 5 GHz ISM band which is thetarget for LAA and stand-alone LAA)—it does not make sense to operatetwo systems in an unlicensed band in parallel which compete against eachother through an (inefficient) contention based protocol.

In case that a given Small Cell, in FIG. 6 denoted as base station (BS),intends to initiate an MNO driven operator, in FIG. 6 denoted as mobilenetwork operator (MNO), for example upon request by a given operator,the following steps may be performed:

The target Small Cell/BS is assumed to initially operate stand-alone LAA(1 a). User Devices, also denoted as user equipments (UEs) 340 areconnected (1 b) to the target Small Cell/BS 420 through stand-alone LAA.There may be a decision or request by a concerned MNO 410 to apply a MNOdriven 3GPP operation (3 a). The target Small Cell/BS 420 registers (2a) to the MNO network 410 and starts providing the service to UserDevices 430. Depending on the decision of the Small Cell/BS 420 ordecision imposed by the concerned MNO 410, the User Devices 430 attachedto the target Small Cell/BS 420 are immediately hand-off'ed (3 c) to theMNO 3GPP bands and registered (3 d) to the 3GPP MNO network or they areallowed to maintain the stand-alone connection (i.e., they are notregistered to the MNO network 410). Optionally, the target Small Cell/BS420 can provide the list of available links (2 b), i.e., link throughMNO network 410, independent network based on WiFi or stand-alone LAA orany other (typically contention based) access technology, to the variousUser Devices 430. Then, the target user devices 430 may perform adecision on their own whether they prefer to be connected to the MNOnetwork 410, for example dedicated licensed, LAA or stand-alone LAA, orto an MNO-independent stand-alone LAA mode.

The MNO 410 may request configuration information (4 a) from the targetSmall Cell/BS 420. This information may be provided by the target SmallCell/BS 420. The MNO 410 may choose to operate 3GPP LTE in a dedicatedlicensed band, to use 3GPP LAA by combining operation in a dedicatedlicensed band and an unlicensed band or the MNO 410 may choose to employa stand-alone LAA mode only. The MNO 410 provides the request forreconfiguration (5 a) to the target Small Cell/BS 420 and enforces acorresponding reconfiguration (5 b). Optionally, the decision for thebest configuration can be taken locally by the concerned Small Cell/BS420.

In case that the MNO 410 decides to operate at least partly in theunlicensed band, either through LAA or stand-alone LAA, then the targetSmall Cell/BS 420 may consider whether it still makes sense to operate astand-alone LAA mode independent of any MNO 410. Also, the target SmallCell/BS 420 may be forced by the concerned MNO 410 to terminate anyMNO-independent stand-alone LAA connection (6 a). In particular if theMNO LAA would access the same frequency band as the stand-alone LAA, itwould make sense to terminate the stand-alone LAA—operating both systemsindependently would lead to an inefficient usage of the spectrumresource due to an inefficient contention based access protocol betweentwo (probably not collaborating) systems. Before terminating thestand-alone (MNO-independent) operation of LAA, the target Small Cell/BS420 may enforce a Handover (H/O) (6 b) in to the MNO-driven 3GPPconfiguration (dedicated licensed spectrum only, LAA or stand-aloneLAA).

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a message sequence between aBS circuitry 420, a MNO network 410 and a UE 430 for switching anoperation mode of the UE from MNO assisted operation to stand-alone LAA.

In case that the MNO driven operator, in FIG. 7 denoted as mobilenetwork operator (MNO) 410, stops operation in the licensed band, theSmall Cell, in FIG. 7 denoted as base station (BS) 420 may be informedand the following steps may be performed:

As soon as the MNO 410 stops its operation within the unlicensed band(1), e.g., by stopping its dedicated licensed/LAA service or byswitching from LAA to dedicated licensed spectrum only or by terminatingits stand-alone LAA service, the target Small Cell/BS 420 may provide anMNO-independent provision of stand-alone LAA. This can be provided as analternative access mechanism even if the MNO 410 still maintains otherservices, such as a dedicated licensed band operation only for example.As soon as the stand-alone LAA service is operational, the next stepsmay be as follows: The target Small Cell/BS 420 enforces a H/O (3 a) orthe set-up (3 b) of an (e.g. additional) connection to the stand-aloneLAA service. The target Small Cell/BS 420 may provide information (2 a)to the User Devices 430 on the availability of a stand-alone LAA serviceand it is up to the User Devices 430 to request access to it (2 b) or toinitiate directly the connection set-up procedure. The target SmallCell/BS may be configured to not provide any information on the newlyavailable stand-alone LAA service to the User Devices 430 and the UserDevices 430 may need to independently detect (4 a) the presence of thestand-alone (MNO-independent) LAA mode. The User Devices 430 may chooseto initiate/request a connection (4 b)—and optionally a termination ofan ongoing 3GPP connection (4 c).

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a license shared access (LSA)communication system 800 including an LSA controller 813 for adaptingspectrum usage. The license shared access (LSA) communication system 800includes a LSA repository 811, an LSA controller 813, an 0A&M entity, anexemplary number of three incumbents 801, 802, 803 and a public mobilecommunication system having an exemplary number of two base stationsBS1, BS2 and one exemplary user equipment UE connected to base stationBS1. The public mobile communication system provides a licensed spectrum821 and an LSA spectrum 822.

The LSA repository 811 may store information on LSA spectrumavailability over time, space and frequency. The LSA controller 813 maybe used for controlling access to the LSA system. The 0A&M entity 815may be used for maintaining operation of the LSA system.

Each of the two base stations BS1, BS2 may include a BS circuitry 420 asdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7. For adapting operation ofthe UE between stand-alone operation mode and a mobile network operator(MNO) assisted operation mode, in this LSA system 800 also referred toas LSA operator assisted operation mode. In the LSA system 800 depictedin FIG. 8, the LSA Controller 813 may include the functionality of theMNO network 410 as described above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7. The UEmay correspond to the UE 430 as described above with respect to FIGS. 4to 7.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a spectrum access system(SAS) 900 with two central SAS coordinators 931, 932 for coordinatingspectrum use between incumbents, PA (priority access) users and GAA(general authorized access) users according to FCC (FederalCommunications Commission) standardization.

The SAS communication system 900 includes an exemplary number of two SASentities 931, 932, FCC databases 941 and an ESC (Environmental SensingCapability) entity 942 which are coupled between each other. Anexemplary number of four CBSD (citizens broadband radio service devices)entities 911, 912, 913, 914 are coupled with the SAS1 entity 931, whereCBSD1, CBSD2 and CBSD3 are coupled via a proxy network manager 921. TheCBSD devices may be coupled to users 901, 902, 903, 904. In the exampleof FIG. 9 the CBSD1 device is connected to a first user 901 and a seconduser 902 while CBSD4 device is connected to a third user 903.

The SAS entities 931, 932 have the following functionality: Enact andenforce all policies and procedures developed by the SAS Administrator;Determine and provide to CBSDs the permissible channels or frequenciesat their location; Determine and provide to CBSDs the maximumpermissible transmission power level at their location; Retaininformation on, and enforce, Exclusion Zones and Protection Zones;Communicate with the ESC to obtain information about federal IncumbentUser transmissions and instruct CBSDs to move to another frequency rangeor cease transmissions; Ensure that CBSDs operate in geographic areasand within the maximum power levels required to protect federalIncumbent Users from harmful interference; Register and authenticate theidentification information and location of the CBSDs; Ensure that CBSDsprotect non-federal incumbent users from harmful interference; ProtectPriority Accessed Licensees from interference caused by other PALs andfrom GAA users; Facilitate Coordination between GAA users operatingCategory B CBSDs; Resolve conflicting uses of the band while maintaininga stable radio frequency environment; Ensure secure and reliabletransmission of information between the SASs and the GBSDs.

Each of the CBSD entities 911, 912, 913, 914 may include a BS circuitry420 as described above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7 for adaptingoperation of the UE (user in this system) between stand-alone operationmode and a mobile network operator (MNO) assisted operation mode, inthis SAS system 900 also referred to as SAS operator assisted operationmode. In the SAS system 900 depicted in FIG. 9, the proxy networkmanager 921 or the SAS entity 931, 932 may include the functionality ofthe MNO network 410 as described above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7. Theusers 901, 902, 903 may correspond to the UE 430 as described above withrespect to FIGS. 4 to 7.

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 illustrate an efficient resource access mechanism bycombination of centralized LTE resource access, e.g. stand-alone LAA)with contention based access, e.g. WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.

Traditionally, coexistence between all systems in the target band of3GPP LTE LAA, stand-alone LAA (such as LTE being operated on anunlicensed, license-by-rule or shared basis, etc.), WiFi, etc. are basedon the CMSA/CA protocol. The basic principles are as follows:

Carrier Sense: before a transmission is executed, the concerned devicefirst listens to the resource (i.e., the target frequency band) in orderto find out whether another device in on the air.

Collision Avoidance: In case that another device is detected, wait for apre-defined period of time prior to another listening operation. Thisstep may lead to a high level of inefficiency, since long waiting timesmay be enforced while the channel is empty in the immediate future

Request to Send/Clear to Send (RTS/CTS): in order to reduce the hiddennode problem, first a “Request to Send” is transmitted and only when a“Clear to Send” is received, the actual transmission is started. Notethat this protocol is not always implemented, in particular for smallpackets (the overhead for RTS/CTS is quite large).

The disclosed efficient resource access mechanism as described belowwith respect to FIGS. 10, 11, 12 guarantees collision-free transmissionswithout RTS/CTS.

Transmission: in case that the resource (i.e., target frequency band) isidentified to be unoccupied (for example through the reception of theCTS message), then the actual data transmission is initiated. Thetransmitting device waits for an acknowledgement packet indicating thatthe packet was received and decoded without error. In case that thecorrect reception cannot be identified, some error event is assumed tohave happened (hidden node based interference, etc.), forcing the deviceto apply a period of binary exponential backoff before there-transmission can be initiated again.

The disclosed efficient resource access mechanism as described belowwith respect to FIGS. 10, 11, 12 guarantees that no interference occursand thus no (inefficient) increase of the waiting time is required.

There is coordination between 3GPP LAA Base Stations/Small Cells orstand-alone LAA Base Stations/Small Cells. This is the typical approachfor LTE, where Base Stations/Small Cells are connected through theBackbone network. In case of a full stand-alone solution, severalimplementations for coordination between Small Cells/BS are presented inthe following:

There is a centralized service that can be accessed through internet forcoordination. For example, the concerned LAA stand-alone Small Cells/BSare contacting the centralized service (through the cabled networkaccess, dedicated licensed LTE, etc.) and provide parameters such astheir geographic location, parameterization (bandwidth, carrierfrequency, etc.). The centralized service determines the neighbouringSmall Cells/BS and provides the corresponding triggers as indicated inthe sequel.

One of the stand-alone LAA Small Cell/BS may be declared to be thecoordinating entity. This can be achieved through negotiation byconcerned Small Cells/BS with a centralized service that can be accessedthrough internet for coordination or similar. The designated SmallCell/BS provides the corresponding triggers as indicated in the sequel.

The coordinating entity (in a hierarchical approach, this entity ishigher in the hierarchy compared to (other) Base Stations/Small Cells)will allocate resources for stand-alone LAA (LTE being operated on anunlicensed, license-by-rule or shared basis or similar) in such a waythat one transmission is following right after the previous one. I.e.,Small Cells need to exactly schedule the transmission following thetriggers of the coordinating entity. Also User Devices will need toexactly schedule their transmissions following the triggers 1008. Thesetriggers can schedule the transmissions ahead of time such that theentities (Small Cells/BS/UEs) have enough time to do the required(signal) processing and they will be ready immediately when their slotis available. Due to the concatenated transmissions, the contentionbased WiFi protocol will always detect that the channel is occupied andwill not transmit. In case that a RTS sequence of WiFi is received, noanswer is sent in order to be sure that there will be no transmissioninitiated by WiFi.

When WiFi access should be permitted, the central control entity mayenforce a pause sequence after a given stand-alone LAA transmission.During this empty period, the WiFi nodes (or other contention basedaccess protocols) detect the availability of the medium. Then, they canstart their transmissions.

The transition from the transmissions of WiFi nodes (or other contentionbased access protocols) is then taken over again after a predeterminedperiod of time and when the WiFi transmissions are terminated. This cantypically be achieved through application of a contention based protocolsimilar to the one of WiFi (or other contention based access protocols).Once, the channel access is achieved a similar method as the onedetailed above is applied.

The basic principles are illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11, 12.

A base station circuitry, e.g. implemented in one of the base stations1001, 1002 includes a first interface, e.g. a first interface 421 asdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7, a second interface, e.g. asecond interface 425 as described above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7,and a BS controller, e.g. a BS controller 423 as described above withrespect to FIGS. 4 to 7.

The first interface 421 is connectable to a network and configured toreceive a trigger signal 1006 from a central coordination entity 1005.The trigger signal 1006 indicates a coordinated access of at least onebase station circuitry, e.g. base station circuitries 420 as describedabove with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7, to a common radio resource 1020.

The second interface 425 is connectable to a user equipment (UE), e.g. aUE 430 as described above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7, configured toaccess the common radio resource 1020 for transmission of a data frame1021 to or from the UE 430. The BS controller 423 is configured toschedule the transmission of the data frame 1021 according to thetrigger signal 1006 received from the central coordination entity 1005.The first interface 421 may be configured to receive a control signalfrom a central control entity, wherein the control signal indicates anallocation of one of the at least one base station circuitries 420 to bethe central coordination entity 1005.

The coordinated access may be such that the access to the common radioresource 1020 is divided between the at least one base stationcircuitries 420. The coordinated access may be such that a transmission1021 of a first base station circuitry 420, 1001 of the at least onebase station circuitries is scheduled adjacent to a transmission 1022 ofa second base station circuitry 420, 1002 of the at least one basestation circuitries.

The BS controller 423 may be configured to schedule the transmission ofthe data frame 1022 for an immediate transmission adjacent to anavailable transmission slot indicated by the trigger signal.

The coordinated access may include a silence period 1023 in which noneof the at least one base station circuitries 420, 1001, 1002 is allowedto access the radio resource 1020. The coordinated access may beconfigured to block a non-centralized base station circuitry 1003 fromaccessing the radio resource 1020 in periods other than the silenceperiod 1023. The coordinated access may be configured to block a basestation circuitry 1003 adapted to access the radio resource 1020 byusing a contention-based protocol, in particular a WiFi radio cell or aBluetooth radio cell, from accessing the radio resource 1020 in periodsother than the silence period 1023. The trigger signal may be receivedfrom a central coordination entity 1005 of a plurality of centralcoordination entities which are configured to coordinate a plurality ofbase station circuitries 423.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first state 1000 of anefficient resource access mechanism in an LAA communication systemincluding a central coordination entity 1005, two base station (BS)circuitries 1001, 1002 and a small cell 1103. The central coordinationentity 1005 schedules a first transmission 1021 in advance that istriggered 1008 by the first base station 1001.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second state 1100 of theefficient resource access mechanism in the LAA communication systemdepicted in FIG. 10. The central coordination entity 1005 schedules 1106a second transmission 1022 immediately after the first transmission1021. The second transmission 1022 is triggered 1108 by the second basestation 1002.

After the first transmission 1021, the second one 1022 followsimmediately—this prevents WiFi 1003 (or any other contention basedprotocol) to detect the presence of the channel availability.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a third state 1200 of theefficient resource mechanism in the LAA communication system depicted inFIG. 10.

A pause sequence 1023 will allow to have an orderly transition of theresource (i.e., the channel) to the WiFi system 1003 (or any othercontention based protocol)—WiFi (or any other contention based protocol)will detect the availability of the channel and take the resource 1024as required.

The “any other contention based protocol” may include any WiFi flavorsuch as IEEE 802.11a/b/g/ac/af/etc. as well as Bluetooth and any othersystem being operated in the target band. The term “stand-alone LAA”represents any type of stand-alone LAA system including LTE beingoperated on an unlicensed, license-by-rule or shared basis, etc.

Thanks to the approach detailed above, the central control entity 1005is able to efficiently manage the allocation of resources across theentire heterogeneous landscape which is able to access the targetfrequency band, in the 5 GHz unlicensed (ISM) frequency band. Of course,this approach can be applied to any other suitable band, such as bandsbeing available for secondary usage (e.g., TVWS bands in the frequencyrange of 470-790 MHz) or Shared bands such as 2.3-2.4 GHz (LicensedShared Access in Europe).

FIGS. 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d illustrate an efficient resource accessmechanism for blocking other than LAA cells from accessing a radioresource. FIGS. 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d are schematic diagramsillustrating transmissions 1300 a, 1300 b, 1300 c, 1300 d in whichsilence periods are filled up with dummy data according to a method forscheduling coordinated access to a radio resource.

FIG. 13 illustrates the scenario when the UL (Uplink) and/or DL(Downlink) part of the frame is (partly) unused, for example because ofa lack of data to be transmitted. In particular for UL this is criticalsince when the UL part is minimized, a quite long silence period isadded in the LTE (such as stand-alone LAA) transmission in order toaddress propagation delays. This silence period may be identified byWiFi systems (or any other contention based protocol) and they may takeback the channel unintentionally (i.e., the central control entityactually targets to maintain the channel for stand-alone LAA systems).In the following, a mechanism is presented in which correspondingsilence periods are filled up by “dummy” transmissions, such as packetscontaining random data. These dummy transmissions may be performed forUL and DL parts (and UL/DL pause intervals) either by the concernedinfrastructure (i.e., Small Cells, Base Stations) and/or selected/allUser Devices.

This is a substantial paradigm shift—even Base Stations may transmit inthe UL portion (and UL/DL pause intervals) and/or User Devices maytransmit in the DL portion (and UL/DL pause intervals).

The simultaneous transmissions of dummy signals by both theinfrastructure (i.e., Small Cells, Base Stations) and selected/all UserDevices may further alleviate the hidden node problem (or otherproblems) making sure that the WiFi (or any other contention basedprotocol) continues to detect the channel to be occupied. Instead ofdummy transmissions, any other type of (useful/unuseful) transmissionmay occur, for example those periods may be filled up with broadcastsequences, etc. The basic principle is illustrated below.

If suitable, the stand-alone LAA system may dynamically change theallocation sequence of UL and DL, i.e. in some (selected) transmissionsfirst UL and then DL is used and in the other transmissions first DL andthen UL is used. The best allocation strategy may be identified suchthat, for example, the maximum system capacity is reached, theprobability is minimized that other contention based access systems(such as WiFi) or any other systems operating in (part of) the same bandmay take the channel (or perform any other unintended action) while thecentral control entity has it still allocated to the stand-alone LAA(such as LTE being operated on an unlicensed, license-by-rule or sharedbasis, etc.) or any other suitable system.

In another implementation multiple central control entities exist andcoordinate stand-alone LAA systems. In this case, the following two subcases are considered: There is a cooperation between the central controlentities, e.g. they are exchanging data through a backbone (or any othercabled/over-the-air) link or there is even a higher priority controllerabove those controllers (i.e., higher in the hierarchy) coordinating theconcerned controller. Then, the two controllers are negotiating accessslots with respect to each other. Also, they are negotiating accessslots to be given to any other contention based access system (such asWiFi, etc.). This exchange of information may be triggered by one of thecentral controllers, requesting the initiation of a negotiationprocedure. The target central controller answers to the requestacknowledging its availability for negotiating a strategy for sharingthe resource. Then, all concerned central controllers may exchange dataon their expected needs for the resource occupancy and also the needs ofother unlicensed systems (such as WiFi, etc.) may be determined (e.g.through estimation and/or observation of their channel occupancy levelin the past). Then, a decision may be taken by a suitable centralcontroller and communicated to all concerned central controllers. Thevarious concerned central controllers may perform resource allocation inalignment to the agreed resource allocation strategy.

In case that some or all central controllers do not cooperate (e.g.,they are deployed by competiting stakeholders such as competiting MobileNetwork Operators (MNOs)), each system managed by a central controllermay be considered to act as “any other contention based/unlicensedsystem”. The same access strategy as applied for systems like WiFi maythus also be applied to other central controllers.

The resource access mechanism described above may be implemented by abase station circuitry, e.g. a BS circuitry 420 as described above withrespect to FIGS. 4 to 7.

Such a base station (BS) circuitry includes a first interface, e.g. afirst interface 421 as described above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7, asecond interface, e.g. a second interface 425 as described above withrespect to FIGS. 4 to 7, and a BS controller, e.g. a BS controller 423as described above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7.

The first interface 421 is connectable to a network and configured toreceive a trigger signal 1006 from a central coordination entity 1005.The trigger signal 1006 indicates a coordinated access of at least onebase station circuitry, e.g. base station circuitries 420 as describedabove with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7, to a common radio resource 1020.

The second interface 425 is connectable to a user equipment (UE), e.g. aUE 430 as described above with respect to FIGS. 4 to 7, configured toaccess the common radio resource 1020 for transmission of a data frame1021 to or from the UE 430.

The BS controller 423 is configured to schedule the transmission of thedata frame 1021 according to the trigger signal 1006 received from thecentral coordination entity 1005 and to fill up silence periods 1302,1313, 1322, 1323, 1332, 1333 in the data frame 1300 a, 1300 b, 1300 c,1300 d with data indicating activity.

The BS controller 423 may be configured to fill up silence periods inboth, a downlink portion and an uplink portion of the data frame withdata indicating activity. The BS controller 423 may be configured tofill up the silence periods by at least one of dummy data, random data,broadcast sequences, useful data. The BS controller 423 may beconfigured to transmit a signaling message to the UE for signaling theUE to fill up the silence periods with data indicating activity. Thecommon radio resource may include at least one unlicensed frequencyband. The base station circuitry 423 may be a stand-alone licensedassisted access (LAA) radio cell, for example according to LTE beingoperated on an unlicensed, license-by-rule or shared basis.

The methods, systems and devices described herein may be implemented assoftware in a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), in a micro-controller orin any other side-processor or as hardware circuit on a chip or withinan application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Embodiments described in this disclosure can be implemented in digitalelectronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or incombinations thereof, e.g. in available hardware of mobile devices or innew hardware dedicated for processing the methods described herein.

The present disclosure also supports a computer program productincluding computer executable code or computer executable instructionsthat, when executed, causes at least one computer to execute theperforming and computing blocks described herein, in particular themethods 600, 700 and 1300 as described above with respect to FIGS. 6, 7and 13. Such a computer program product may include a readable storagemedium storing program code thereon for use by a processor, the programcode comprising instructions for performing any of the methods 600, 700,1300 as described above.

EXAMPLES

The following examples pertain to further embodiments. Example 1 is abase station (BS) circuitry, configured to adapt operation of a userequipment (UE) between a stand-alone operation mode and a mobile networkoperator (MNO) assisted operation mode, comprising: a first interfaceconnectable to an MNO network; a second interface connectable to the UE;and a BS controller, configured to: transmit a first register messagevia the first interface to the MNO network, wherein the first registermessage indicates a request to operate the UE in at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO network, and signal a hand-over via the secondinterface to the UE, wherein the hand-over indicates a transition fromoperating the UE in at least one frequency band of the stand-aloneoperation mode to operating the UE in the at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode.

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 can optionally includethat the request to operate the UE in an MNO assisted operation mode isautonomously generated by the base station circuitry or received fromthe MNO network.

In Example 3, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-2 canoptionally include that the BS controller is further configured totransmit information via the second interface to the UE, wherein theinformation indicates at least one link for connecting the UE, the atleast one link comprises: a link through the MNO network based onlicensed access technology, a link through an MNO-independent networkbased on WiFi, a link through the MNO-independent network based onBluetooth, a link through the MNO-independent network based onstand-alone license-assisted access (LAA), a link through theMNO-independent network based on another access technology.

In Example 4, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-3 canoptionally include that the BS controller is configured to adapt anaccess technology for accessing the UE based on one of the following:3GPP long term evolution (LTE) in a dedicated licensed band, 3GPP LAA ina combination of a dedicated licensed band and an unlicensed band,stand-alone LAA in an unlicensed band, LTE being operated on one of anunlicensed, license-by-rule or shared basis, any type of LTE beingoperated in a shared band such as a Spectrum Access System (SAS) band ina dedicated licensed band for incumbent usage, SAS LAA in a combinationof a dedicated licensed band for incumbent usage and an unlicensed band,a combination of LTE and SAS.

In Example 5, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-4 canoptionally include that the BS controller is configured to terminate theoperation of the UE in the stand-alone operation mode if the MNO networkprovides at least one unlicensed frequency band for operating the UE.

In Example 6, the subject matter of Example 5 can optionally includethat the BS controller is configured to initiate the operation of the UEin the stand-alone operation mode if the MNO network stops providing theat least one unlicensed frequency band.

Example 7 is a user equipment (UE) operable in a stand-alone operationmode and a mobile network operator (MNO) assisted operation mode, the UEcomprising: an interface connectable to a base station (BS) circuitry,in particular a base station circuitry according to one of Examples 1-6,configured to receive a hand-over signal from the base stationcircuitry, the hand-over signal indicating a transition from anoperation of the UE in at least one frequency band of the stand-aloneoperation mode to an operation of the UE in at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode; and a UE controller,configured to initiate a transition from operating the UE in thestand-alone operation mode to operating the UE in the MNO assistedoperation mode based on the hand-over signal.

In Example 8, the subject matter of Example 7 can optionally includethat the UE controller is configured to initiate a transition fromoperating the UE in the MNO assisted operation mode to operating the UEin the stand-alone operation mode based on a signal from the basestation circuitry indicating a termination of the MNO assisted operationmode.

In Example 9, the subject matter of Example 8 can optionally includethat the UE controller is configured to: detect an MNO-independentnetwork for operating the UE in the stand-alone operation mode afterreception of the signal indicating the termination of the MNO assistedoperation mode; and connect the UE to the MNO-independent network.

Example 10 is a base station circuitry, comprising: a first interfaceconnectable to a network, configured to receive a trigger signal from acentral coordination entity, wherein the trigger signal indicates acoordinated access of at least onebase station circuitry to a commonradio resource; a second interface connectable to a user equipment (UE),configured to access the common radio resource for transmission of adata frame to or from the UE; and a controller, configured to: schedulethe transmission of the data frame according to the trigger signalreceived from the central coordination entity.

In Example 11, the subject matter of Example 10 can optionally includethat the first interface is configured to receive a control signal froma central control entity, wherein the control signal indicates anallocation of one of the at least one base station circuitries to be thecentral coordination entity.

In Example 12, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-11 canoptionally include that the coordinated access is such that the accessto the common radio resource is divided between the at least one basestation circuitries.

In Example 13, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-12 canoptionally include that the coordinated access is such that atransmission of a first base station circuitry of the at least one basestation circuitries is scheduled adjacent to a transmission of a secondbase station circuitry of the at least one base station circuitries.

In Example 14, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-13 canoptionally include that the BS controller is configured to schedule thetransmission of the data frame for an immediate transmission adjacent toan available transmission slot indicated by the trigger signal.

In Example 15, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-14 canoptionally include that the coordinated access comprises a silenceperiod in which none of the at least one base station circuitries isallowed to access the radio resource.

In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 can optionally includethat the coordinated access is configured to block a non-centralizedbase station circuitry from accessing the radio resource in periodsother than the silence period.

In Example 17, the subject matter of any one of Examples 15-16 canoptionally include that the coordinated access is configured to block abase station circuitry adapted to access the radio resource by using acontention-based protocol, in particular a WiFi radio cell or aBluetooth radio cell, from accessing the radio resource in periods otherthan the silence period.

In Example 18, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-17 canoptionally include that the trigger signal is received from a centralcoordination entity of a plurality of central coordination entitieswhich are configured to coordinate a plurality of base stationcircuitries.

Example 19 is a base station (BS) circuitry, comprising: a firstinterface connectable to a network, configured to receive a triggersignal from a central coordination entity, wherein the trigger signalindicates a coordinated access of at least one base station circuitry toa common radio resource; a second interface connectable to a userequipment (UE), configured to access the common radio resource fortransmission of a data frame to the UE; and a BS controller, configuredto: schedule the transmission of the data frame according to the triggersignal received from the central coordination entity and to fill upsilence periods in the data frame with data indicating activity.

In Example 20, the subject matter of Example 19 can optionally includethat the BS controller is configured to fill up silence periods in both,a downlink portion and an uplink portion of the data frame with dataindicating activity.

In Example 21, the subject matter of any one of Examples 19-20 canoptionally include that the BS controller is configured to fill up thesilence periods by at least one of dummy data, random data, broadcastsequences, useful data.

In Example 22, the subject matter of any one of Examples 19-21 canoptionally include that the BS controller is configured to transmit asignaling message to the UE for signaling the UE to fill up the silenceperiods with data indicating activity.

In Example 23, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-22 canoptionally include that the common radio resource comprises at least oneunlicensed frequency band.

In Example 24, the subject matter of any one of Examples 10-23 canoptionally include that the base station circuitry is one of astand-alone licensed assisted access (LAA) radio cell, in particularaccording to LTE being operated on one of an unlicensed, license-by-ruleor shared basis.

Example 25 is a method for adapting operation of a user equipment (UE)between a stand-alone operation mode and a mobile network operator (MNO)assisted operation mode, the method comprising: transmitting a firstregister message to a MNO network, wherein the first register messageindicates a request to operate the UE in at least one licensed frequencyband of the MNO network, and signaling a hand-over to the UE, whereinthe hand-over indicates a transition from operating the UE in at leastone unlicensed frequency band of the stand-alone operation mode tooperating the UE in the at least one licensed frequency band of the MNOassisted operation mode.

In Example 26, the subject matter of Example 25 can optionally includethat the request to operate the UE in an MNO assisted operation mode isautonomously generated by the base station circuitry or received fromthe MNO network.

In Example 27, the subject matter of Example 25 or 26 can optionallyinclude: transmitting information to the UE, wherein the informationindicates at least one link for connecting the UE, the at least one linkcomprises: a link through the MNO network based on licensed accesstechnology, a link through an MNO-independent network based on WiFi, alink through the MNO-independent network based on Bluetooth, a linkthrough the MNO-independent network based on stand-alonelicense-assisted access (LAA), a link through the MNO-independentnetwork based on another access technology.

In Example 28, the subject matter of Example 25 can optionally include:adapting an access technology for accessing the UE based on one of thefollowing: 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) in a dedicated licensed band,3GPP LAA in a combination of a dedicated licensed band and an unlicensedband, stand-alone LAA in an unlicensed band, LTE being operated on oneof an unlicensed, license-by-rule or shared basis, Spectrum AccessSystem (SAS) in a dedicated licensed band for incumbent usage, SAS LAAin a combination of a dedicated licensed band for incumbent usage and anunlicensed band, a combination of LTE and SAS.

In Example 29, the subject matter of Example 25 can optionally include:terminating the operation of the UE in the stand-alone operation mode ifthe MNO network provides at least one unlicensed frequency band foroperating the UE.

In Example 30, the subject matter of Example 29 can optionally include:initiating the operation of the UE in the stand-alone operation mode ifthe MNO network stops providing the at least one unlicensed frequencyband.

Example 31 is a method for operating a user equipment (UE) in astand-alone operation mode and a mobile network operator (MNO) assistedoperation mode, the method comprising: receiving a hand-over signal froma base station circuitry, the hand-over signal indicating a transitionfrom an operation of the UE in at least one unlicensed frequency band ofthe stand-alone operation mode to an operation of the UE in at least onelicensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode; andinitiating a transition from operating the UE in the stand-aloneoperation mode to operating the UE in the MNO assisted operation modebased on the hand-over signal.

In Example 32, the subject matter of Example 31 can optionally include:initiating a transition from operating the UE in the MNO assistedoperation mode to operating the UE in the stand-alone operation modebased on a signal from the base station circuitry indicating atermination of the MNO assisted operation mode.

In Example 33, the subject matter of Example 32 can optionally include:detecting an MNO-independent network for operating the UE in thestand-alone operation mode after reception of the signal indicating thetermination of the MNO assisted operation mode; and connecting the UE tothe MNO-independent network.

Example 34 is a method, comprising: receiving a trigger signal from acentral coordination entity, wherein the trigger signal indicates acoordinated access of at least onebase station circuitry to a commonradio resource; accessing the common radio resource for transmission ofa data frame to or from the UE; and scheduling the transmission of thedata frame according to the trigger signal received from the centralcoordination entity.

In Example 35, the subject matter of Example 34 can optionally include:receiving a control signal from a central control entity, wherein thecontrol signal indicates an allocation of one of the at least one basestation circuitries to be the central coordination entity.

In Example 36, the subject matter of Example 34 can optionally includethat the coordinated access is such that the access to the common radioresource is divided between the at least one base station circuitries.

In Example 37, the subject matter of Example 34 can optionally includethat the coordinated access is such that a transmission of a first basestation circuitry of the at least one base station circuitries isscheduled adjacent to a transmission of a second base station circuitryof the at least one base station circuitries.

In Example 38, the subject matter of Example 34 can optionally include:scheduling the transmission of the data frame for an immediatetransmission adjacent to an available transmission slot indicated by thetrigger signal.

In Example 39, the subject matter of Example 34 can optionally includethat the coordinated access comprises a silence period in which none ofthe at least one base station circuitries is allowed to access the radioresource.

In Example 40, the subject matter of Example 39 can optionally includethat the coordinated access is configured to block a non-centralizedbase station circuitry from accessing the radio resource in periodsother than the silence period.

In Example 41, the subject matter of Example 39 can optionally includethat the coordinated access is configured to block a base stationcircuitry adapted to access the radio resource by using acontention-based protocol, in particular a WiFi radio cell or aBluetooth radio cell, from accessing the radio resource in periods otherthan the silence period.

In Example 42, the subject matter of Example 34 can optionally includethat the trigger signal is received from a central coordination entityof a plurality of central coordination entities which are configured tocoordinate a plurality of base station circuitries.

Example 43 is a method, comprising: receiving a trigger signal from acentral coordination entity, wherein the trigger signal indicates acoordinated access of at least one base station circuitry to a commonradio resource; accessing the common radio resource for transmission ofa data frame to the UE; and scheduling the transmission of the dataframe according to the trigger signal received from the centralcoordination entity and to fill up silence periods in the data framewith data indicating activity.

In Example 44, the subject matter of Example 43 can optionally include:filling up silence periods in both, a downlink portion and an uplinkportion of the data frame with data indicating activity.

In Example 45, the subject matter of Example 43 can optionally include:filling up the silence periods by at least one of dummy data, randomdata, broadcast sequences, useful data.

In Example 46, the subject matter of Example 43 can optionally include:transmitting a signaling message to the UE for signaling the UE to fillup the silence periods with data indicating activity.

In Example 47, the subject matter of Example 43 can optionally includethat the common radio resource comprises at least one unlicensedfrequency band.

In Example 48, the subject matter of Example 43 can optionally includethat the base station circuitry is one of a stand-alone licensedassisted access (LAA) radio cell, in particular according to LTE beingoperated on one of an unlicensed, license-by-rule or shared basis.

Example 49 is a computer readable non-transitory medium on whichcomputer instructions are stored which when executed by a computer,cause the computer to perform the method of one of Examples 25 to 48.

Example 50 is a device for adapting operation of a user equipment (UE)between a stand-alone operation mode and a mobile network operator (MNO)assisted operation mode, the device comprising: means for transmitting afirst register message to a MNO network, wherein the first registermessage indicates a request to operate the UE in at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO network, and means for signaling a hand-overto the UE, wherein the hand-over indicates a transition from operatingthe UE in at least one unlicensed frequency band of the stand-aloneoperation mode to operating the UE in the at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode.

In Example 51, the subject matter of Example 50 can optionally includethat the request to operate the UE in an MNO assisted operation mode isautonomously generated by the base station circuitry or received fromthe MNO network.

Example 52 is a base station (BS) system, comprising: a first subsystemconnectable to a network, configured to receive a trigger signal from acentral coordination entity, wherein the trigger signal indicates acoordinated access of at least one base station circuitry to a commonradio resource; a second subsystem connectable to a user equipment (UE),configured to access the common radio resource for transmission of adata frame to the UE; and a third subsystem, configured to: schedule thetransmission of the data frame according to the trigger signal receivedfrom the central coordination entity and to fill up silence periods inthe data frame with data indicating activity.

In Example 53, the subject matter of Example 52 can optionally includethat the third subsystem is configured to fill up silence periods inboth, a downlink portion and an uplink portion of the data frame withdata indicating activity.

In Example 54, the subject matter of Example 1 can optionally includethat the at least one frequency band of the stand-alone operation modeis one of an unlicensed frequency band, a license-by-rule frequencyband, a shared frequency band, a TV White Space (TVWS) frequency band orany other suitable type of frequency.

In Example 55, the subject matter of any one of Examples 1-2 canoptionally include that the BS controller is configured to signal aninverse hand-over via the second interface to the UE, wherein theinverse hand-over indicates a retransition from operating the UE in theat least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation modeto operating the UE in the stand-alone operation mode.

In Example 56, the subject matter of Example 7 can optionally includethat the at least one frequency band of the stand-alone operation modeis one of an unlicensed frequency band, a license-by-rule frequencyband, a shared frequency band, a TV White Space (TVWS) frequency band orany other suitable type of frequency.

In Example 57, the subject matter of Example 7 or Example 56 canoptionally include that the UE controller is configured to initiate aretransition from operating the UE in the at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode to operating the UE inthe stand-alone operation mode when receiving an inverse hand-oversignal from the BS circuitry via the interface.

Example 58 is a user equipment (UE), operable in a stand-alone operationmode and a mobile network operator (MNO) assisted operation mode, the UEcomprising: an interface connectable to a base station (BS) circuitry,in particular a base station circuitry according to one of Examples 1 to6; and a UE controller, configured to initiate a transition fromoperating the UE in at least one frequency band of the stand-aloneoperation mode to an operation of the UE in at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode, wherein the UEcontroller is configured to connect the interface to the BS circuitrywhen operating the UE in the at least one licensed frequency band of theMNO assisted operation mode.

In Example 59, the subject matter of Example 58 can optionally includethat the at least one frequency band of the stand-alone operation modeis one of an unlicensed frequency band, a license-by-rule frequencyband, a shared frequency band, a TV White Space (TVWS) frequency band orany other suitable type of frequency.

In Example 60, the subject matter of Example 58 or Example 59 canoptionally include that the UE controller is configured to initiate aretransition from operating the UE in the at least one licensedfrequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode to operating the UE inthe stand-alone operation mode.

In addition, while a particular feature or aspect of the invention mayhave been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations,such feature or aspect may be combined with one or more other featuresor aspects of the other implementations as may be desired andadvantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, tothe extent that the terms “include”, “have”, “with”, or other variantsthereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, suchterms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term“comprise”. Furthermore, it is understood that aspects of the inventionmay be implemented in discrete circuits, partially integrated circuitsor fully integrated circuits or programming means. Also, the terms“exemplary”, “for example” and “e.g.” are merely meant as an example,rather than the best or optimal.

Although specific aspects have been illustrated and described herein, itwill be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a varietyof alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted forthe specific aspects shown and described without departing from thescope of the present invention. This application is intended to coverany adaptations or variations of the specific aspects discussed herein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A base station (BS) circuitry, configured to adapt operation of a user equipment (UE) between a stand-alone operation mode and a mobile network operator (MNO) assisted operation mode, comprising: a first interface connectable to an MNO network; a second interface connectable to the UE; and a BS controller, configured to: transmit a register message via the first interface to the MNO network, wherein the register message indicates a request to operate the UE in at least one frequency band of the MNO network while the UE operates in the stand-alone operation mode that includes the UE performing license-assisted access (LAA) using a license-by-rule frequency band and without using a frequency carrier that is associated with at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO network for transmitting or receiving, and upon the BS being registered with the MNO network, signal a hand-over via the second interface to the UE, wherein the hand-over indicates a transition from operating the UE in the stand-alone operation mode to operating the UE (i) in accordance with 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) using at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode, or (ii) in accordance with 3GPP license-assisted access (LAA) using a combination of an unlicensed band and at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode.
 2. The base station circuitry of claim 1, wherein the at least one frequency band of the stand-alone operation mode further includes at least one of an unlicensed frequency band, a shared frequency band, or a TV White Space (TVWS) frequency band.
 3. The base station circuitry of claim 1, wherein the BS controller is configured to signal an inverse hand-over via the second interface to the UE, wherein the inverse hand-over indicates a retransition from operating the UE in the at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode to operating the UE in the stand-alone operation mode.
 4. The base station circuitry of claim 1, wherein the register message to request to operate the UE in the at least one frequency band of the MNO network is autonomously generated by the base station circuitry or received from the MNO network.
 5. The base station circuitry of claim 1, wherein the BS controller is further configured to transmit information via the second interface to the UE, and wherein the information indicates at least one link for connecting the UE, the at least one link comprises one or more of: a link through the MNO network based on licensed access technology, a link through an MNO-independent network based on WiFi, a link through the MNO-independent network based on Bluetooth, a link through the MNO-independent network based on stand-alone license-assisted access (LAA), and a link through the MNO-independent network based on another access technology.
 6. The base station circuitry of claim 1, wherein the BS controller is configured to adapt an access technology for accessing the UE based on at least one of the following: 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) in a dedicated licensed band, 3GPP LAA in a combination of a dedicated licensed band and an unlicensed band, stand-alone LAA in an unlicensed band, LTE being operated on one of an unlicensed, license-by-rule or shared basis, LTE being operated in a shared band including a Spectrum Access System (SAS) band in a dedicated licensed band for incumbent usage, SAS LAA in a combination of a dedicated licensed band for incumbent usage and an unlicensed band, and a combination of LTE and SAS.
 7. The base station circuitry of claim 1, wherein the BS controller is configured to terminate the operation of the UE in the stand-alone operation mode if the MNO network provides at least one unlicensed frequency band for operating the UE.
 8. The base station circuitry of claim 7, wherein the BS controller is configured to initiate the operation of the UE in the stand-alone operation mode if the MNO network stops providing the at least one unlicensed frequency band.
 9. The base station circuitry of claim 1, wherein the stand-alone operation mode includes the UE performing LAA without the frequency carrier that is associated with the at least one licensed frequency band being operated jointly, sequentially in time, or simultaneously in time with the at least one frequency band of the stand-alone operation mode.
 10. The base station circuitry of claim 1, wherein the BS controller is further configured to transmit, prior to signaling the hand-over, information via the second interface to the UE that indicates a list of available links for connecting the UE, the available links including (i) a link through the MNO network based on licensed access technology, (ii) a link through an MNO-independent network based on WiFi, (iii) a link through the MNO-independent network based on Bluetooth, and (iv) a link through the MNO-independent network based on stand-alone license-assisted access (LAA).
 11. The base station circuitry of claim 1, wherein: the first interface is part of a citizens broadband radio service device (CBSD), the MNO network is configured to function as a network manager, and the first interface is configured to enable communications between the CBSD and the network manager.
 12. A user equipment (UE), operable in a stand-alone operation mode and a mobile network operator (MNO) assisted operation mode, the UE comprising: an interface connectable to a base station (BS) circuitry, the interface configured to receive a hand-over signal from the base station circuitry during operation of the UE in the stand-alone operation mode that includes the UE performing license-assisted access (LAA) using a license-by-rule frequency band and without using a frequency carrier that is associated with at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO network for transmitting or receiving, the hand-over signal indicating a transition from an operation of the UE in the stand-alone operation mode to an operation of the UE (i) in accordance with 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) using at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode, or (ii) in accordance with 3GPP license-assisted access (LAA) using a combination of an unlicensed band and at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode; and a UE controller configured to initiate a transition from operating the UE in the stand-alone operation mode to operating the UE in the MNO assisted operation mode based on the hand-over signal.
 13. The UE of claim 12, wherein at least one frequency band of the stand-alone operation mode further includes at least one of an unlicensed frequency band, a shared frequency band, or a TV White Space (TVWS) frequency band.
 14. The UE of claim 12, wherein the UE controller is configured to initiate a retransition from operating the UE in the at least one licensed frequency band of the MNO assisted operation mode to operating the UE in the stand-alone operation mode when receiving an inverse hand-over signal from the BS circuitry via the interface.
 15. The UE of claim 12, wherein the UE controller is configured to initiate a transition from operating the UE in the MNO assisted operation mode to operating the UE in the stand-alone operation mode based on a signal from the base station circuitry indicating a termination of the MNO assisted operation mode.
 16. The UE of claim 15, wherein the UE controller is configured to detect an MNO-independent network for operating the UE in the stand-alone operation mode after reception of the signal indicating the termination of the MNO assisted operation mode, and to connect the UE to the MNO-independent network. 